June 20: Bondi Beach and Harbour Cruise Delight

I’ve been told that it is winter here in Australia, but it seems that Sydney has yet to get the memo! Today’s hike along the coast of Australia from Bondi Beach to Bronte and back and the subsequent journey by boat inside the Sydney Harbour were filled with magnificent water views, significant landmarks, and gloriously sunny and warm temperatures.

Arriving at the Bondi Icebergs Pool this morning on the southern end of Bondi Beach, one of the most visited tourist spots in Australia, I took in the breathtaking sight of the crisp, clean, and clear aqua-colored pool waters in the foreground and the honey-colored sandy, crescent-shaped beach beyond.

The light blue and green surf rolling in with frothy white waves sparkled with light reflected from the sun beaming down from the clear sky above, its calm and peaceful surface belying the rather formidable rip currents lurking just below.

Heading south along the shoreline, I marveled at the gorgeous, rock-strewn beach views to my left and the breathtaking stone cliffs to my right - clusters and swirls of black, brown, white, and grey striations filled with circular pockets of all sizes and shapes, perhaps created by the swirling waters of the sea at high tide.

I stopped to look for pods of whales along the shoreline and after several failed attempts was rewarded with a glimpse of one of the mammoth mammals making its way along the eastern coastline.

After returning to my hotel at the base of the Sydney Bridge, I headed out for my one-and-a-half-hour ride in the harbor, getting more magnificent, close-up views of the bridge, the opera house, and the city skyline from the vantage point of the boat as it followed the shoreline in the warm afternoon sun. What a great day!